Nike Regionals heat up as the ice melted and Friars dash for glory

Two days after gorging on turkey (or not), seven sleekly dressed Friars somehow found their way trotting to Bowdoin Park, New York for the race of a lifetime.

So maybe our Friar runners drove there, but they definitely ran thousands of miles to make their way the Nike Northeast Regionals. On November 30th, Blackfriar XC had a shot to make it to Oregon for the national meet.

As the sun rose on once frozen solid ground, the course turned dangerously muddy. Our seven runners toed the line anxiously waiting for their moment. Jaxson and Josh Hoey, Billy McDevitt, Brendan Stec, Colin Wills, Ryan Doane, and Andrew Wilson. These were our warriors that day.

Through slickness and stumbles, the team finished 5th overall at the most competitive meet all year. Led by Jaxson Hoey’s 12th place finish (even after a momentary fall), Malvern’s Blackfriar XC took home an unprecedented and impressive finish.

The Northeast regional race was one of nine races for top notch teams around the states. The top two teams from each region automatically qualified for Oregon while the 3rd and 4th places from each region enter an at-large pool. Five of those are then selected to join the final race.

Malvern missed the cut by one place but the 5th place finish is impressive on its own.

All in all the cross country team continued to set records with one of the most impressive falls in memory. The runners look to continue this success into the spring and winter track seasons, and beyond.

As senior captain Dan Ferraiolo told me, “Expect 7 Malvern runners on a plane to Oregon next year.”